The $180 Knife You Keep Seeing on Alton Brown’s Instagram

It’s not every day that you see a celebrity chef lick a giant knife. So when Alton Brown posted an Instagram video featuring that very act right after Christmas, it stuck with us. More than two weeks later, we’re still thinking about it. He sliced a roast for a few seconds and then (somewhat seductively) looked at the camera while he ran his tongue up the length of the knife. While we’re assuming he’s most pumped about the meat juices, it also seems like he really loves that knife.

Here’s the knife in another video that Alton posted (which was actually the first video in this two-part series).

These videos spurred lots of questions and comments from his followers. As you may have guessed, lots of people were worried about the safety of his knife-licking ways. Lots of people posted to Insta-drool over the meat. And lots of people had questions about the unique-looking knife he was using. Here’s what we know about it.

We definitely know it’s made by Shun, but we’re having a hard time figuring out if it’s this one or this one. (The handles are different and, because Alton’s using the knife in the videos, we can’t get a clear view.)

We also know it’s called a Brisket Knife. Did you know there was such a thing? It’s got a long, narrow blade that’s made specifically for trimming and slicing large cuts of meat (think: brisket, pork, bacon, ham, roasts, turkey, and more).

We had heard a rumor that Alton actually helped design this knife, but our contacts at Shun said it’s not true.

Regardless, Alton is clearly into this knife. For proof beyond Insta, we checked with our Associate Food Editor, Meghan Splawn, who worked with Alton for 10 years and here’s what she had to say: “Wow, you know he loves this knife because, in the past, he’d always reach for an electric knife for such a task!”

Keep these videos coming, Alton. Just maybe be more discerning with what you choose to lick?

• The $210 Pan That Alton Brown Is Currently Obsessed With
• Alton Brown’s Georgia Loft Has an Ingenious Pot Storage Solution
• The Top 10 Things We Learned from Alton Brown in 2019
• The 3 Best Alton Brown Cookbooks — and the Best Recipes from Each One
• I Worked with Alton Brown for 10 Years. Here Are 5 Things I Learned.

Have you tried either of these brisket knives?